Travel Guide To Harare

General Information About Harare

Harare (/həˈrɑːreɪ/; officially called Salisbury until 1982) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. Situated in the north-east of the country in the heart of historic Mashonaland, the city has an estimated population of 1,606,000 (2009),with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area (2006). Administratively, Harare is a metropolitan province, which also incorporates Chitungwiza town and Epworth. It is situated at an elevation of 1,483 metres (4,865 feet) above sea level and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.
Harare is Zimbabwe's leading financial, commercial, and communications centre, and a trade centre for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Manufactured goods include textiles, steel and chemicals, and gold is mined in the area. The city's suburbs include Borrowdale,Helensvale, Greendale, Chisipite, Mbare, HIghfields, Kuwadzana, Marlboro, Marlbereign, Vainona, Mount Pleasant and Avondale; the most affluent neighbourhoods are to the north. The University of Zimbabwe, the country's oldest university (founded in 1952), is situated in Mount Pleasant, about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the city centre.
Harare is home to the country's main Test cricket ground, Harare Sports Club, and to Dynamos F.C., Zimbabwe's most successful association football team.

Sports Played in Harare

Culture

Christianity (of many different denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist and Dutch Reformed Churches) is practised widely across Zimbabwe. But many people also hold traditional beliefs in ancestors, as well as in prophecy and divination, where divine inspiration is sought through communication with the spirits.

History

The city was founded in 1890 by the Pioneer Column, a small military force in the service of the British South Africa Company, and named Fort Salisbury after the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. Company administrators demarcated the city and ran it until Southern Rhodesia achieved responsible government in 1923. Salisbury was thereafter the seat of the Southern Rhodesian (later Rhodesian) government and, between 1953 and 1963, the capital of the Central African Federation. It retained the name Salisbury until 1982, when it was renamed Harare on the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence.

Topography

The city sits on the one of the higher parts of the Highveld plateau of Zimbabwe at an elevation of 1,483 metres (4,865 feet). The original landscape could be described as a "parkland."

Climate

Harare has a pleasant subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb). The average annual temperature is 17.95 °C (64.3 °F), rather low for the tropics, and this is due to its high altitude position and the prevalence of a cool south-easterly airflow.
There are three main seasons: a warm, wet season from November to March/April; a cool, dry season from May to August (corresponding to winter in the Southern Hemisphere); and a hot, dry season in September/October. Daily temperature ranges are about 7–22 °C (45–72 °F) in July (the coldest month), about 15–29 °C (59–84 °F) in October (the hottest month) and about 16–26 °C (61–79 °F) in January (midsummer). The hottest year on record was 1914 with 19.73 °C (67.5 °F) and the coldest year was 1965 with 17.13 °C (62.8 °F).
The average annual rainfall is about 825 mm (32.5 in) in the southwest, rising to 855 mm (33.7 in) on the higher land of the northeast (from around Borrowdale to Glen Lorne). Very little rain typically falls during the period May to September, although sporadic showers occur most years. Rainfall varies a great deal from year to year and follows cycles of wet and dry periods from 7 to 10 years long. Records begin in October 1890 but all three Harare stations stopped reporting in early 2004.
The climate supports a natural vegetation of open woodland. The most common tree of the local region is the Msasa Brachystegia spiciformis that colours the landscape wine red with its new leaves in late August. Two South American species of trees, the Jacaranda and the Flamboyant, which were introduced during the colonial era, contribute to the city's colour palette with streets lined with either the lilac blossoms of the Jacaranda or the flame red blooms from the Flamboyant. They flower in October/November and are planted on alternative streets in the capital. Also prevalent is Bougainvillea.

Harare Nightlife

The city has a vibrant and infamous nightlife. Although entertainment in the city has long been dominated by restaurants, the nightlife in Harare is going from strength to strength as scores of new clubs and bars open up.It boasts an assortment of bars and pubs which usually open after 7 in the evening. These range from laid-back jazz and blues clubs and restaurants to pumping clubs with a revolving line-up of DJs and bands.
Venues are scattered throughout Harare, with a cluster of clubs in the newer Sam Levy Village area in Borrowdale, a bit like a US strip mall in feel and in price. Besides the established dance scene, many new clubs are attempting to offer something a little different - so there's an increasingly wide choice of live music venues, dance clubs, sports bars, jazz clubs, pool bars, cafés and restaurants. Although most pubs close before midnight, this is when the action moves to the various discos and nightclubs.